Murder on a Sunday Morning

Couldn't pay me to have turned this off. It's hard to judge how much of it's effectiveness can be chalked up to the filmmakers, and how much can be attributed to the story itself, but I think that de Lestrade chose wisely by making the production as clutter-free as possible, while making room for small details like the droning hum of a car on a highway and the deathly creak of a judge's chair. A real life procedural, that never really pretends to be balanced, crafted with care and precision.

Absolutely compelling courtroom drama. If you needed any more proof that cops are corrupt, inept, lying scumbags, here you go. Patrick McGuinness and the other public defenders are true heroes.

Excellent documentary, absolutely excellent. It feels like Law & Order but in real life. Patrick McGuinness and the other public defenders are true heroes in my books for fighting the blantent disregard for proper police work and those detectives involved should be absolutely ashamed of themselves, not just because they almost put an innocent boy behind bars but because they almost let the real killer go free. Absolutely disgraceful but incredible documentary.

I saw this after Lestrade's 2004 ''The Staircase' (which I cannot muster enough hyperbole to recommend - GO GET IT NOW)... I won't give anything away except my two thumbs, which are pointing up. In the same vain as Errol Morris' 'The Thin Blue Line' and 'Paradise Lost': a true life court drama that leaves you seething with frustration at the inept, prejudiced and seemingly corrupt way justice seems doled out...something like that, (go listen to '...And Justice For All' afterwards)...um yeah:

Incredibly suspensful documentary. I felt so sorry for the boy who was accused and for the family. The ending is just incredible, the verdict was so chilling. I could feel the joy when he got released. Also a good insight how it's really like in a courtroom.

Terrifying and relieving.

After seeing so many courtroom documentaries, I'm glad to see one that actually gives me hope in the system.

It's sad to see that society still has a long long way to go but thankfully, shown through people like Patrick McGuinness, there are still those who are willing to defend what's right. A powerful and eye opening documentary.

Documentary that demonstrates the clear fact that it remains the case that to be poor, black, young and male in the United States is to be at substantial risk of falling prey to an American criminal justice system that is still frequently biased, underfunded and/or inept.

Sometimes the pigs get away with it, sometimes they don't.

Been seeing a few of these lately. The final segment, showing how utterly dissimilar the actual culprit looked, really shows you how fucked the racial prejudice on display here is.

Though he is no doubt fighting the good fight, I actually found that McGuinness came off as a rather unlikeable guy. Anyway, if you liked de Lestrade's mini-series 'The Staircase' and is in need of a true crime fix, I recommend checking this out (it won the Oscar for Best Doc, you know).

I don't think the Lionel Ritchie soundtrack was appropriate

ACAB-tastic

I can see why it won the Oscar

So thorough in documenting the trial and what surrounded it, and doubtlessly edited down from lots more interesting footage, but to the effect of a coherent and riveting feature-length. Public defenders McGuinness and Finnell are simply epic in their defense of the boy. It makes for what is arguably the best court-room drama this side of "12 Angry Men", and the most important crime documentary since "The Thin Blue Line".

A great documentary. A good insight how it's really like in a courtroom. I can't imagine that there are people who would do anything to keep their jobs safe even if that means putting an innocent boy in jail for the rest of his life. Mankind is disgusting.

Very moving. My main complaint is that I wanted to hear more from the prosecution: we only get the defense perspective for many witnesses.

Very good fly-on-the-wall documentary covering a murder trial, which would've received a higher rating had I not watched de Lestrade's own follow-up - the much longer, more in-depth, but similar 'Staircase' - just a couple of months beforehand. This one leans (even) more toward the defendant, concentrating on his lawyer & family's perspective of the case before moving into the courtroom. Waiting for the verdict is every bit as suspenseful as with Michael Peterson though.

The Bad: The Defense's absurdly large pocket squares. The extremely corny soundtrack. The Good: Everything else. A full-access look into a terribly mishandled criminal investigation. Zero clutter, and straight forward story telling.

the mind boggles...

I saw this a while ago, but I remember thinking the defense lawyer wasn't very good.

Captivating story. All de Lestrade had to do was tell it and he did a great job of that. Patrick McGuinness rules!